Ties that Bond
by HardWrapping
Summary: When Alvin the Treacherous plans to take over the Highlands, Berk offers to help. But the bad blood between Vikings and Highlanders leads to a rather shaky alliance. Can Hiccup and Merida help their people get over their bad history and work together for the sake of them all.
1. All on the Table

Merida aimed carefully at the target across the field. The three lords stood by and watched as the princess tried to focus. "Give it up lass, not even you can make from this distance." Ian said as he leaned against a nearby tree. Boyd stood beside him giving a blank stare at a butterfly. Bart on the other hand watched closely seeing if the princess could really make such a shot.

The red head closed one of her eyes and stared a bit longer before releasing her grip on the arrow. It flew through the air before piercing the middle of the target. Merida smiled and turned towards the young lords. "Bullseye!" She said spinning her bow in her hands. "Would any of ye boys like to try and top that?" She asked.

Ian held his hands up defeated. "Okay princess, your made your point. I admit it. You're the best archer in the land." He said bitterly. He hated losing, but he had to admit the girl had skills. Boyd nodded in agreement as Bart said something that was completely lost to them all. Given that he was smiling and nodding as he said it, Merida assumed it was a compliment.

"Um, thanks ye big lug." She said giving him a light punch on the arm. Since he didn't argue or complain, she guessed she must have got it right. She looked to Ian for conformation but he simply shrugged. He was just as lost to the boy's speech as she was. "Anyone up for a little sword play?" She asked.

Ian rubbed his hands together. "Now that's something I definitely have ye beat in!" He said eagerly. Boyd still seemed out of it and Bart nodded in agreement. They began heading towards the training grounds, but suddenly heard something. It was a loud horn. Ian looked confused. "What's that then?" He asked looking towards the castle.

Merida looked up as well. "Ah think that's the horn me da uses to signal for enemy attacks. But that can't be. I haven't heard that thing since I was a wee lass." She said. No enemey had ever managed to get to castle DunBroch. It was right smack dab in the middle of the highlands. To even get close to it you would have needed to get past one of the three clans.

Suddenly they saw Queen Elinor approaching them. "Children! Children, you must get to the castle immediately!" She yelled.

"Ma, what's going on?" Merida asked.

Elinor quickly began shoving her daughter towards the direction of the castle. "There is no time te explain! You must hurry back to the castle immediately, all of you, go!" She instructed.

They all looked at each other clearly confused, but began making their way to the castle with haste. Once there they saw that the guards were all hurrying to positions. Warriors were standing by with swords and shields in hand, arches were positions at the top of the castle walls, everyone was armed to the teeth. "Ma! What in the world is going on?!" Merida asked.

"Vikings!" The Queen answered before hurrying the children inside.

Ian suddenly stopped. "Vikings? Are you serious?" He asked with an angered expression. "Did they nae get enough of us the first time we sent them running away like the savages they are?!"  
"How did they get here? Wouldn't we have gotten words from one of the other clans?!" Merida asked confused. Even if the Lords weren't there, the defenses would still be at the ready. Word should have been sent for the return of such a serious enemy.

"How they got here is not important! We need to get you all to safety right now!" Elinor said.

Ian turned around and pulled out his sword. "With all due respect milady, I will nae turn tail and run from some Viking scum! If they want a fight that's what we'll give em!" He said heading back towards the gate.

Merida armed her bow. "Aye! We'll send em packing just like before!"

Elinor quickly grabbed her daughter arms. "Yer not going anywhere! Yer the princess and the rest of ye are the next heads of your clans! Protecting you children is top priority!"

"But we can fight!" Ian argued.

"Ah know you can fight, but today is nae the day for it!" Elinor said. "Now all of you, get inside noo!" She ordered. Merida frowned as Boyd and Bart ran into the main hall. "Merida, Ian!"

"Aye mom." Merida said as she reluctantly followed the young lords.

Ian looked back and then cursed under his breath. He followed after Merida. "You'll get your chance to fight, I promise." Elinor assured as she closed the door behind them.

Meanwhile outside the Fergus and the Lords stood in front of the castle gates. Fergus made his way to the front of the large group of warriors and then looked up at Lord Macintosh who sat at the top of the castle wall with bow and arrow in hand. "How many are there?" Fergus shouted.

Macintosh looked closely. "Not many from what I can tell. Definitely not enough for an army." He confirmed. Fergus grunted. They must have sent a small force so they would go unnoticed. If the clans hadn't met together for the games today, they would have been completely unprepared.

"One of them approaches!" Macintosh yelled.

Fergus looked up confused. "Just one?"

"Aye!" Macintosh confirmed.

"Is he armed?" Fergus asked.

"Nae! Not even a shield!"

Fergus glared at the door. This wasn't right. Vikings may have been savages, but they were not stupid. They had to be planning something. Suddenly there was a knock on the gates. Everyone stood in silence. After a few more moments of silence, Fergus spoke. "Open it." He ordered.

The two guards nodded before pulling the locks of the gates and then slowly opening them. The arches all took aim and the guards prepared to attack as the single man walked through the gates. He looked around and then smirked. "I see I'm not exactly receiving a warm welcome."

Fergus glared. "Stoick the Vast. Ah suppose ah should consider myself honored ye showed yer ugly mug here in person. Though fer sure ye would send one of yer dogs to do yer dirty work."

Stoick frowned. "I'm no coward Bear King. I'm here to talk to face to face Man to man."

"We have nothin' to talk aboot with you Viking animals." Fergus spat.

"Not even if it involves DunBroch burning to the ground?" Stoick asked.

"Is that ah threat?" Fergus asked angrily.

"It's a warning." Stoick said glaring back the the bear king. "Look, I only brought a small number of people. We're all unarmed. Why don't you let us inside so we can explain."

Fergus threw his head back and laughed. "Ha, ye actually expect us to believe that? For all we know yer people could be readying to attack as we speak!"

"If we wanted to burn Dunbroch to the ground, we would have done it by now." Stoick stated bluntly. "The only reason we haven't taken the highlands by now is because we have a much bigger problem to deal with."

Fergus looked furious. "Haven't taken-? Did ya nae remember who sent yoo sorry lot back to yer little islands in the first place?!" He shouted.

"Look Fergus, personally I could care less whether you trust me or not! I sure as hel don't trust you either! But regardless of what you believe, this place will be burned the ground along with the rest of the highlands if you don't hear what I have ta say! Now are you willing to listen or not?!" Stoick shouted back.

The two glared at each other for nearly a minute before Fergus looked up towards Macintosh. "Do their people have any weapons?" He asked.

Macintosh shook his head. "None ah can see."

He turned back to Stoick. "We'll listen to what ye have to say. But if ye or yer people try ANYTHING, we'll fill you full of arrow before ye can even draw a sword."

* * *

Merida and the young lords watched as the Great Hall filled with highland warriors, and of course, Vikings. The Vikings sat on one side of the room, but were being closely watched by the guards. "I still can't believe they managed to slip through out defenses. Even with a small group like they, they shouldn't have been able to slip through." Merida said.  
"Forget how they got here. I can't believe we're even listening to these mongrols. We should have just skinned them on the spot!" Ian said twirling his sword in his hand. He was itching for one of the Vikings to make a move so he could draw first blood.

After everyone had been seated Merida looked down at the Viking leader, Stoick the Vast. Her father had talked a bit about him when he and the lords reminisced about their old war days, but he'd never gone into detail. She supposed her father didn't like pulling up the more gruesome memories of the war.

She then glanced over at the boy to Stoick's right. He was wearing a horned helmet, but other than that there was no other evidence pointing to him behind a Viking. Compared to the others, he was scrawny, frail, and weak. Merida could probably knock down with ease.

"So Stoick, what did ye come here for?" Fergus asked impatiently.

Stoick took his helmet off and placed it on the table. "I'm sure most of us here remember the war between our people."

"Aye. Ye tried to steal out land from us." Lord Dingwall said crossing his arm.

Stoick nodded. "That we did. But you united against us and-"

"We sent yer sorry asses back to where you belong!" Ian shouted angrily.

Suddenly a young Viking stood up and glared at him. "Say that again you punk!"

Ian glared back at him before jumping over the railing and onto the table. "I'll say it a thousand times you no good scavengers!"

Before they could go any further a man reached forward and pulled the young Vikings back. "Snotlout! Calm down and keep quiet!" He shouted.

"But dad, he called us scavengers! I'm not going to let some prissy highlander punk bad mouth us!" He shouted back.

"Spitelout, keep you boy under control!" Stoick ordered.

"Ian, back off!" Lord Macintosh yelled.

"But why?! We don't have to sit here and listen to these savages! We should just gut every last one of them-"

"SIT. DOWN." Macintosh repeated more firmly.

Ian glared over at Snotloud and then put his sword away. "Aye."

After everyone had calmed down at bit Stoick continued. "As I was saying. It's true that the clans banding together were certainly a formidable force. But make no mistake, we were prepared to combat you. We simply had bigger problems to deal with at the time." He said.

"Is that so?" Fergus asked raising an eyebrow. He wasn't sure if Stoick was telling the truth of making excuses. He was a stubborn bastard after all. Not that he had room to talk.

"It is." He said getting up. He nudged the skinny boy beside him to who quickly stood up and made his way towards the door. "I'd like to show you something." As the boy neared the door, a few of the guards prepared to stop him.

Fergus lifted his hand signaling them to let the boy go. He was interested in where this was going Besides, if they were planning a surprise attack the last person they would send for the task was this boy. He looked like he could barely lift a weapon let alone use one.

When the boy left Stoick turned towards the others. "What we're about to show you will probably be a shock, but it's not dangerous. Don't make any sudden movements or point any weapons at it, otherwise you'll spook it."

Merida, as well as every other highlander in the room looked confused. Spook what exactly? The door opened back up and the boy walked in slowly. Fergus rolled his eyes. "Look Stoick, I'm tired of waitin' for this nonsense. Would you jist..."

He stopped when he saw a large black figure making it's way into the room. Merida watched in shock as a huge reptile like creature, complete with a set of wings, entered into the room. The highlanders all lifted their weapons and the creature suddenly bared it's teeth and looked read to strike. Merida quickly pulled up her own weapon ready to shoot the creature down if it attacked.

The skinny boy suddenly turned around. "Wait, everyone, please drop your weapons! You're making him uncomfortable."

Fergus kept a tight grip on his sword. "What in the blazes is that thing?" He asked glaring at Stoick. Was this part of their plans? To bring these beast here to slaughter them? He knew he shouldn't have trusted these backstabbing animals! He prepare to lunge at the beast, but Stoick lifted his hand.

"Don't do that." He warned.

"King Fergus, I swear to you that he is not dangerous. He's just perceiving you as a threat. Just drop you weapon and it'll be fine." The boy assured.

Fergus looked at the beast skeptically and then slowly placed his weapon on the table. "Put em down." He ordered to everyone else. The highlanders all looked at each other in confusion. "I said drop your weapons." He ordered.

Everyone slowly sheathed or dropped their weapons. The second they had the fierceness in the creatures eyes vanished. It was replaced with a more innocent, curious look. "There you go bud." The boy said patting the creature on the head.  
"Okay Stoick, what the devil is that thing?" Fergus asked still eyeing the creature.

"That Fergus, is a dragon. They've been infesting Berk for years, but around the time the clans united the infestation spiked. We couldn't deal with waging war with you while we had these rascals nipping at our heels." Stoick explained.

Fergus rubbed his chin. "Is it dangerous?"

"No. All the dragons on Berk are completely tamed. They won't harm people, not without reason anyway." Stoick said. Fergus grunted. He didn't like the idea of the Vikings having an army of dragons at their disposal. This did explained how they so deep into highland territory without being detected.

"Where are the others?" Fergus asked. "The ones you rode here on."

"We have the ones we rode here on hidden in a small cave a few miles away. Don't worry, we're not planning anything." Stoick assured. "We just thought if we came flying in you'd try to shoot us down before hearing what we had to say."

Fergus nodded. "You were right. So, are ye saying that dragons are coming here to the highlands then?" He asked. He knew his arch enemy couldn't have come here to simply warn him about some overgrown reptiles.

"Sort of. Do you remember Alvin?"

Fergus looked angry. "Aye, Alvin the Treacherous. One of your scum bag allies." During the war Alvin had been the most hated of all the Vikings. Most Vikings pillaged of course, but they at least let the women and children go. Alvin on the other hand was ruthless, bloodthirsty.

"He's no ally of ours anymore. He was banished years ago." Stoick said. "He was sent to outcast island along with the other traitors. But there's a problem. Alvin has learned how to tame the dragons, and he's gathering forces."

"To take Berk?" Fergus asked with a smirk. He had to admit, the idea of Stoick coming to him for help was pretty satisfying.

"No, to take the highlands."

The highlanders all began muttering amongst themselves. "Well, looks like Alvin had finally lost his rocker. No Vikings will be able to take the highlands from us." Stoick said. "Even if they have a few little lizards with them, they don't have the man power to take us on."

"You don't understand. Many of the other Vikings tribes have already joined him, and I'm sure even more will stand with him as well."

"And why haven't yoo?" Fergus asked. "Ye tried before, and with the dragons I'm sure ye THINK all the Vikings would be able to take the highlands from us easily."  
"I have no doubt that we could. But I'm not stupid Fergus. Alvin would betray us the minute we stepped foot on the battlefield. Even if the prize was the highlands, he wouldn't be able to let the feud between us go." Stoick said balling his fist up.

Fergus looked at him curiously. "So, the enemy of yer enemy is yer friend?"

"Basically. I've convinced a few other tribes to stand against Alvin, and we agreed that the best move would be to aline ourselves with you."

Fergus nodded in thought. "Ah see. And what would ye ask for in return?"

"The only thing we would ask is that you allow us and the other tribes who've agreed to join us to live on your land."

There were mutters among the room. The highlanders thought the proposal was crazy. Surely Fergus would not allow such a long time enemy to simply move onto their homeland. The Vikings also seemed against this idea. Their homes had always been on the seas. How could they suddenly up and move onto enemy territory.

Fergus glared at Stoick. "And why should ah even consider yer proposal?"

"The highlands have more than enough land to support the tribes and then some, and it'd be pretty damn hard to help you fight a war when we're a week's trip away." Stoick argued.

"Are ye saying ye would be willing to serve under the rules of the Kingdom?" Fergus asked.

"We'd be willing to negotiate. You have to understand, there are certain traditions we're just not willing to give up."

"What? Like pillaging and burning down villages?" Merida asked. They all looked up at the red head. "Ye cannae seriously being considering this, can ye da? They're probably just tryin to gain yer trust so they can attack ya from our home front!"

"Merida!" Elinor said grabbing the girls arm.

"No ma! I will nae let some Viking savages smooth talk their way into the kingdom!"

"Ah! Why should we trust them?! Whether it be Alvin or this lot here, their all the same! Backstabbing traitorous scum!" Ian yelled.

The dragon suddenly sensed the hostility in the room and bared it's teeth again. It growled up at Ian and Merida who backed up slightly. "Oy! Ye keep that thing under control!" Fergus yelled.

"Why don't you keep that redheaded whelp under control!" One of the Viking shouted back.

"That whelp is my daughter ye bastard!"

Everyone began yelling and shouting at one another. Merida glared down at the Vikings as her mother began scolder her about how much trouble she had just called. She wasn't paying attention though. She was focusing on the scrawny boy who was trying to sooth the dragon.

He turned around and began shouting. "Hey! Wait a second, I have something to say!" Everyone ignored him and he sighed. Suddenly the dragon opened it's mouth and let out an ear shattering roar. Everyone covered their ears as the beast bellowed. When it finished the boy patted it on the head. "Thanks bud."

He turned around and faced Fergus. "You're majesty, if I may say something?"

"And who exactly are ye?" Fergus asked still trying to get the echoes of the black beasts roar out of his ears.

Stoick patted the boy on the back. "Fergus, this here is my boy Hiccup."

"Hiccup?" Fergus asked with a smirk. The other highlanders, and even a few Vikings, broke out into laughter. "Were all the manly names taken boy?"

"Yeah, I know..." Hiccup said sighing. At least he had broken some of the tension in the room. "I know long ago our people were at war, but don't you think we can find a way to get past that for the sake of everyone here? I mean the clans here were at war a long time ago, but you united for the greater good right?"

"Aye boy, we united against YOU." Fergus reminded. "Ah see where your coming from boy, ah really do. But ye can't think a few fancy can undo years of war and bloodshed do ye?"

Hiccup sighed. "Look, I'm much to young to remember anything about the war or whatever bad blood is boiling between you and my father. But I do know about Alvin. I know he's willing to stoop to any level to get what he wants. If we don't unite against him, he WILL take the highlands. And he won't stop there either."

"He's not interested in trying to take care or get more land for his tribe or his people. He's insane, he's twisted, and he's power crazy. He'll keep on trying to expand, and I think he's crazy enough to try and take over the world if he can. I know you don't trust us, but Alvin needs to be stopped here. If he wins, we ALL lose."

He took off his helmet and then dropped it on the table. "I'm asking you to at least consider working together with us so we can make a stand again him. This helmet is half of my mother's breast plate. I'm willing to swear an alliance over it."

Fergus looked at Hiccup suspiciously. Something about the boy's face told him he was serious about this. He rubbed his chin in thought. "Ye can bring your allied tribes to our land. Ye and the rest of the residents of Berk will stay with us, so we can keep an eye on ya." Fergus said. "Then we'll negotiate the terms of our alliance."

Stoick reached forward and patted Hiccup on the back. "That's my boy." He said proudly.  
"By the way. Ah ain't really to comfortable about that... thing, being here. We'll make a stable for em, but OUR guards will be monitoring them at all clear?" Fergus said.

"That's reasonable. But we need to have some of our tribesmen there as well. The Dragons need to be handled carefully, and we wouldn't want any accidents." Stoick said.

"Agreed."

Everyone muttered amongst themselves wondering if this shaky alliance would really hold. Ian balled his fist up angrily. "Ah, I don't believe we're teaming up with those filthy outlanders. Yer dad must be going mad if he thinks we can trust them." He said looking at the read.

Merida was staring down at Hiccup curiously. He was leading his dragon outside and away from the all ruckus. She had to admit, she was a little impressed on how he'd handled the situation. "What do you think of that one?" She asked.

Ian looked down at Hiccup as he walked out of the door. "Him? He's a scrawny wimp. If those other Vikings are really attacking he'll be nothing but a toothpick. Why?"

She shrugged. "Just curious. He doesn't seem like the Viking sort ta me."

Ian grunted and began walking off. "He's probably just as treacherous and backstabbing as the rest of his kind. C'mon guys." He said walking off. Bart and Boyd followed him.

Merida kept staring down towards the door where Hiccup had left. He seemed... interesting. She would keep an eye on him. "Merida, you comin?" Ian called.

"Aye, I'm comin." Merida said going after the young lords.


	2. Wicked Skrill

The change that had taken place over three next weeks was hard to adjust to for pretty much everyone. The Vikings had moved into a small campsite not far from the castle. There were guards always on the ready just in case they had tried anything funny. The first few days were filled with arguments and small scuffles, but things were starting to settle down. Still, there was a thick tension in the air felt by both sides.

Something that had everyone on edge was, of course, the dragons. A stable had been built for them, and while most of the beast found it a bit stuffy, it was suitable. The real problem was keeping the creatures calm. They were in a new place full of unfamiliar faces. The highlander guards didn't help either. They had no idea how to keep tabs on the giant reptiles.

"Woah! Calm down you stupid beast!" One of the highlander guards yelled as they pulled on the muzzle of Monstrous Nightmare. The dragon began thrashing about easily tossing the guard aside. More of the guards ran over to the scene and began grabbing at its muzzle. They tried to restrain it, but they were clearly no match for the creatures brute strength.

It shook it's long neck around flinging the guards away. The Nightmare suddenly lit it's body on fire. With one shake of it's head the charred muzzle fell to the ground. It roared loudly and then began stomping towards one of the guards. He reached and snatched his sword off the ground. He held it up towards to defend himself.

Suddenly the door to the stable opened. "What's going on?" Hiccup asked looking around. He saw the guards flung about everyone and then looked up at the Monstrous Nightmare. It stormed over towards the guard, but Hiccup stepped forward and held his hands up. "Whoa there, calm down pal!"

The Monstrous Nightmare stopped and the flames on it's body extinguished. Hiccup slowly stepped forward and petted it on the nose. "No one is going to hurt you. I promise." He said in a soothing voice. The ferocious look in the Nightmare's eyes left and it began making a low growl. "I know it's a little cramped in here, but we all have to adjust. Just bare with it a little while."

He led the Nightmare back to its cell and the guards quickly close to door behind it. Hiccup sighed and turned towards the guards. "Look, I know your not used to dealing with dragons, but you can't treat them roughly. They respond to hostility with hostility. If you just try and shove them around everywhere their going to shove back. Especially Hookfang."

One of the guards frowned and him and adjusted his helmet. "Well, what do ye expect us to do? It ain't like we have any experience with the blasted devils." He said with a snort. None of the highlander residents could understand how anyone could view these things at pets. These Vikings had been living like animals for so long that they had identified with them.

Hiccup opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly a Gronkle came flying around the corner dragging a guard behind it. He sighed and then ran after it. Merida and the Young lords watched the scene from afar. "Look at em. I can't believe that scrawny wimp is supposed to be the hero of berk." Ian said chuckling.

Merida frowned as she watched the boy bring the Gronkle to a stop. After a few moments of relaxing the rough skinned reptile he led it back to it's place in the stable. "It's nae the boy that's the problem. It's the control he has over those things. What if he just ordered them all ta takeover the castle. We'd be torn to shreds." Merida said sighing.

She was honestly wondering what her dad was thinking. Making an alliance was all fine and well, but with the Vikings? It didn't seem like a wise decision. "I dannae know. If he wanted to do something like that don't you think he would have by noo? I mean he's had a thousand chances to do so." Boyd said scratching his head.

"Their probably just waiting fer Alvin and his goons to get here so they can have a sure kill. But I will nae let that happen. The minute they try turn against us, I'll slit their throat with my blade." He said twirling his sword in his hand. "Hel, I'll be the first Highlander to slay a dragon." He said confidently.

"Or the first Highlander ta be killed by one." Merida said with a smirk. Ian narrowed his eyes at her but decided to ignore the comment. She glanced back down at the stable. Whenever the boy had left, the stable was full of roars and commotion, but his simple presence seemed to put them at ease. There must have been some sort of trick to taming these things.

Truthfully, Merida was very interested in the beasts. She didn't think they had anything on her Angus of course, but they were something new and strange to her. To avoid as many accidents as possible, only the guards assigned to the stable were allowed to get close. This of course made Merida even more curious. She had to see these things up close.

=========================================

The lords and Viking chiefs walked out of the great hall mumbling amongst themselves. So far negotiations had been going fairly well. They had hit a few snags here and there, but they had slowly worked their way past every problem so far. Fergus sat back in his chair and let a sigh of relief escape. He never thought reasoning with Vikings would be so difficult. But with their traditions and of course the dragons, things were more complicated than he'd thought.

"Feeling the pressure Fergus?" He looked up and saw Stoick standing next to him. He placed two mugs of ale and then pulled out a chair before taking a seat. "I know what yer feeling. Being a leader ain't no joke." He said sliding him one of the mugs.

Fergus grabbed the mug and took a swig before slamming it back down on the table. "Aye. It's much harder than ah ever thought possible. Still, things have been going a lot better than aye expected ah suppose." He said scratching his head.

In the past weeks Stoick and Fergus had began growing a mutual respect for one another. They knew if this alliance was going to have a chance at working, then they would have to lead their people by example. Fergus ruled over the lords, and Stoick held a lot of respect from the other chiefs. If they could at least tolerate each other, their people would as well.

"Got that right. I thought fer sure we'd have a murder on our hands by now." He said before taking a drink from his own mug. He set it down and then turned towards Fergus. "I been meaning to talk to ya about something. It's about the dragons."

Fergus sighed. "They been givin my guards trouble all week. Ah have to adit Stoick, your people really are tough to have gotten a handle on those beasts." Fergus admitted.

"Believe me, we had our fair share of trouble with them to." Stoick assured. "My boy has told me that the dragons are a little uncomfortable in the stables."

Fergus looked confused. "What? But that crackpot Gobber is the one who built it. And I thought yer boy Hiccup was the one who said it would do?"

Stoick shook his head. "Aye, it will do. I mean it could be a little bigger, but it's suitable. It's just that back home the dragons are used to getting a little fresh air. We take em out for a bit of riding so they can stretch their legs and spread their wings. But they haven't been out in weeks. Their getting a little grumpy. I doubt my boy will be able to keep them calm much longer."

Fergus sighed. He could see where Stoick was coming from. No animal, whether it be a dog or a dragon liked being cooped up for long. But the idea of dragon flying around Dunbroch didn't sit well with him. If this whole thing really was a facade they would have a perfect opportunity to attack. This seemed unlikely to Fergus who figured if they were going to try anything they wouldn't have waited so long.

The lords however were still skeptical, and he couldn't blame them. Even he still held a hint of distrust towards their new allies, and he was sure Stoick and the other chiefs did not completely trust them either. Trust in your allies was something necessary to any leader. But it was also something that needed to be earned.

"I'll talk to the other lords about it. But you realize even if I convince them to agree, certain precautions will have to be taken." Fergus reminded.

"I understand. But keep in mind that when Alvin strikes, it'll be on the backs of dragons, and we will need our own to even have a chance against him. We did have a dragon training academy back on berk. Perhaps it might be a good idea to start on here. The dragons can get a little freedom and your people can get used to them."

Fergus rubbed his chin. If they learned how to tame dragons themselves, any chance of the reptiles being used against them would drastically decrease. Surely the lords would be willing to agree with that. "Sounds like a good idea. I'll run it by the lords later on tonight."

=======================================

Hiccup sat in the mess hall and poked at the food on his plate. The woman who had served it too him told him it was boiled sheep stomach. It sounded disgusting, but seeing as he'd eaten raw regurgitated fish before, he might as well give it a shot. He took a smile bit and then looked surprised. It actually wasn't that bad.  
"Hey." He felt a punch on the arm and then looked up to see Astrid, Fishlegs, and the others all beginning to sit around him. "I heard you've been pretty busy lately." Astrid said with a smirk.

Hiccup and Astrid had broken up some time ago. They both agreed that the relationship just wasn't going anywhere. At first it had been very awkward, for them and the entire group. But they managed to get to a point where they had become close friends.

He rubbed his arm. "Yeah. The guards just aren't used to dealing with dragons. The dragons aren't really used to all the new faces either."

Snotlout snorted. "Well what do you expect. Highlanders are soft. They don't have what it takes to get a handle on something like a dragon." He said grabbing his turkey leg. He took a bite out of it before continuing. "Hookfang would even think of attacking me."

Tuffnut laughed. "Didn't Hookfang attack you just the other day?"

"No, he was PLAYING. Big difference."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Well, Snotlout is right about one thing. These Highlanders are way too soft. From what I've seen they wouldn't last a second against any decent warrior." She said looking over towards a table where a the princess and the young lords sat. Ian was showing off some of his sword skills. "Their way to clean. It's all flare and no fire."

Fishlegs shrugged. "Well, war is a numbers game. There really wasn't much else that we could do besides aline ourselves with them." He said.

"Well there won't be much point in numbers if they all run away the first time they see a dragon." Snotlout said chuckling. "I mean, did you see the king when Toothless walked in? He looked like he was going to wet his pants."

"I guess the 'Bear King' and his cronies just aren't up for dealing with dragons." Ruffnut said smirking.

"Tell me about it. I mean do you see their princess? She was aiming that arrow at Toothless like she actually knew how to use it. Can you imagine her slaying a dragon when she can't even slay her own hair." Astrid added.

The young Vikings all chuckled amongst themselves, and it didn't go unnoticed by the princess or the young lords. "Look at those haughty savages. I see they have no problem making themselves at home." Ian said glaring at them.

Bart reached over and plucked his food off his plate before quickly stuffing it in his mouth. Ian turned back around, saw his plate, and then glared up at the giant who just gave a shy smile. Merida laughed at the two and then looked back over at the table. "They certainly donnae leave the best impression on ya. Rough lookin group they are."

Ian laughed. "Their just as ugly as the beasts they ride."  
Bart said something that, once again, flew over all their heads. Boyd turned towards them and stared curiously. "Ah don't know. Ah donnae think the two blonde lasses are too bad on the eyes." He said smiling towards them.

Ian looked over and rubbed his chin. "Well, they do have a few rough looking women folk, but ah suppose they donnae look too bad." He said eyeing the blonde with the pony tail.

Merida rolled her eyes. "They'd probably kill ya for looking at em wrong." She muttered poking her food around with her fork.

Ian smiled slyly. "I think someone is a little jealous that their not the only girl on the block anymore." He said elbowing her.

She elbowed him back, only much harder. "Please, like ah would be jealous of some Viking girls. I bet they couldn't even string a bow, much less use one." She said. "Ah am more interest in those beast they ride. I mean they got nothing on an Clydesdale, but ain't ye a little curious on what it's like to whiz through the air like that?"

"Nae really." Boyd said snorting. "Ah mean, I trip over me own two feet when I'm on the ground. Hate ta see what I'd do in the air."

Ian began eating what was left of his food. "Ah got to say, I'm a bit curious too. What do ya say tonight we visit the stable and mount some of those uglies?"

Merida smiled. "I'm in."

"But we don't even know how ta ride em." Boyd pointed out.

Ian waved his hand. "Aw yer worrying too much. If those brainless Vikings can do it, then it should take us all but two minutes." He said.

"I don't know about this..." Boyd said worriedly. Usually he followed the others without a word, but that was because there was only so much trouble they could get into. But this seemed crazy, even for them.

Merida elbowed him. "Oh, don't be such a worry wart. We'll be fine ye big baby."

Boyd sighed. "Alright then. But how are we even going to get inside?"

"Tonight Sam and Dugan are on duty. They almost always fall asleep on watch. When they doze off we'll sneak by and check em out." Merida said.

==========================================

Hiccup walked down the halls of the castle rubbing his eyes. He had spent most of the day working on a new modification for Toothless tail. While most of the Vikings weren't allowed in the castle, Fergus had given him special permission to use the smithy. It wasn't like he could do any harm from there anyway.

He hadn't managed to complete Toothless new tail fin, but he didn't care. He would finish it tomorrow. Right now though all he wanted to do was to hit his bed and drift off to sleep. Just as he was turning the corner a figure ran out and crashed into him. He fell back onto the ground hitting the back of his head. He would have said ow, but he was to tired. In fact, he was tempted to just fall asleep like this. But he had to excuse himself to whoever he just bumped into.

"Ow..."

Hiccup's head immediately shot up and he found himself staring at a mass of red fiery hair. He gulped as he realized that this was the princess. This was terrible. He had just knocked over the princess of Scotland! This meant three weeks of hard work had just gone down the drain! He had probably just sparked a war!

The redhead looked up with a glare. Who in the world was up this late at night? She saw Hiccup who gave a nervous smile. "What are ye doing in here? I thought da said that only the chiefs were allowed in the castle, and only in the day?"

Hiccup quickly made his way to his feet and offered her a hand. "Oh man, I am so sorry! I had no idea you were coming and if I'd have known it was you I wouldn't have-"

"Stop babbling ye nervous wreck. It's not the first time ah been knocked over before." She said as she pushed herself up and dusting her dress off. She looked the boy up and down. He was even scrawnier up close. "Anyway, Ah don't care about that. I'm asking ye why your in the castle this late at night."

Hiccup looked her over. He had seen her a few times before, but thought it wise to avoid her. She was a princess after all, and he wasn't the most... graceful guy. One wrong slip up and she want probably have his head on a platter. And judging by the way her father acted, she could have it. But seeing her up close he could see all her features.

Her curly red hair with went in every direction, her round face, and blue eyes that shined like sapphires. She was really pretty. Suddenly Merida snapped her fingers shaking him from his thoughts. "Hey, I'm asking ye a question you numbskull! Pay attention!"

He shook his head and then fumbled to find the right words. "Your father the smithy- I mean the smithy's permission-" Merida looked at him with a raised eyebrow. She had actually thought this one was smarter than the other Vikings for a while. Hiccup stopped and took a deep breath collecting his thoughts. "Your father gave me permission to use the smithy."

Meria looked at him suspiciously for a few seconds. Hiccup looked worried. Was she going to tell her father? King Fergus had given him permission, but he'd clearly lost track of time, and he wasn't sure if being here this late was pushing it. "That so? Normally I'd be suspicious of a stranger walkin around the castle at night but you.., you don't seem like you could do any harm."

Not sure whether or be relieved or offended he decided to take simply it as a compliment. "Um... thank you your milady." He said rubbing his arm.

Merida rolled her eyes. "Don't call me yer lady, and don't thank me. Just scramble on out of here before ah change me mind." She said shooing him away.

"Right, right..." He turned to walk off but then stopped for a moment. He then turned back around. "Wait a minute, what are you doing up this late?"

Merida looked a bit surprised. She hadn't expected him to question her. "Wha?"

Hiccup saw the look on her face and was sure he'd made a mistake. "If you don't me asking of course!" He said not believing he thought to question royalty.

Upon seeing Hiccup's nervous state, Merida regained her composure. She had no idea why she had panicked. She was the princess here, she had all the say in this situation! "Well, ah DO indeed mind ye asking! It's not really any of yer business! Now get out of here before ah change my mind!" She snapped.

"Right, of course!" He ran off as fast as his legs could carry him. He looked back and saw the girl simply standing there. She was probably up to something mischievous. At least based off how the guards were always talking about her. Still, curious as he was, it wasn't like it was any of his business. So long as it didn't effect him or the tribe, he couldn't care less.

=============================

"What took ye so long?" Ian asked crossing his arms. He and the other two young lords stood in front of the castle a few yards away from the stable. The guards had fallen asleep some time ago, but they had to wait on their redheaded princess to arrive.

Merida sighed. "Ah know, ah know. Ah just ran into that scrawny Viking lad. He was up wielding something or another. Ah had to shake him before I came along." She explained. "Well, why don't we go mount some dragons then?" She said smiling

They made their way over towards the stable and saw the two guards who, just as Merida predicted, were lost in a deep slumber. Ian slowly opened the door and the others crept in. He followed them making sure to close the door gently. One inside the group looked around in awe.

There were dozens of dragon, all different shapes in sizes. Luckily they were all sleeping. One pen held a number of small dragons, no bigger than cats. Bart saw a baulking dragon with bumpy rough skin. Ian stopped when he saw handful that that two heads. "Man, these things are ugly." He said grimacing.

"Ah don't know. They do nae look any uglier than ye do." Merida joked.

"Check that one out." Boyd said as he pointed over towards one of the pens. It was a black dragon that slightly resembled the one Chief Stoick rode. It's head was different however, and it was covered in spikes. "Ah wonder why this one is all shackled up?"

The others walked over and saw that he was right. Unlike the others this dragon was not only muzzled, but retrained with chains. "Ah bet this is supposed to be the big bad one. Let's saddle him up and ride this bad boy then." Ian said about to enter the pen. Merida stuck her arm out stopping him. "What?" He asked.

"This one really does looked dangerous. Ah mean the boy wouldn't let any of the beast be shackled up, he did nae even like putting muzzles on them. If he restrained this one I do nae think we should mess with him." She warned.

Ian smirked. "If your scared lass, just say so."

Merida frowned. "Move." She ordered. She then pushed him aside and entered the pen. She moved slowly towards the dragon and then placed a hand on it's head. It's rought skin was covered in black scales. "It feels... different than ah imagined."

"Well, are ye gonna ride it or not?" Ian asked.

She turned back towards him and glared. "Of course I'm gonna ride it. I'm just... looking over it first." She said. She suddenly felt a small spark on her hand and quickly pulled it back. She looked down to see the dragon awake and glaring at her.

The look it gave her was much different than the others. When they moved the dragons in a few weeks back, she managed to get close to some of them. When they looked at her, it was a look of suspicion mixed with curiosity. As if they were judging them. But this one simply stared at her with fury. Like it would rip her apart the minute it got loose.

"Maybe ye shouldn't do this Merida. It does nae look too friendly." Boyd said.

"Aye, maybe a different one would be better." Ian said. He knew he had dared her into doing this, but he wasn't going to be the one to tell king Fergus his daughter had been ripped apart by a bloodthirsty dragon right before their eyes.

Merida grew a determined look on her eyes. "Do nae be such babies just because it's given ye a nasty look. It's muzzled, it can't hurt ye." She said walking around to it's side.

She took a deep breath and then climbed up on top of it's back. She shuffled around a bit trying to get comfortable. This was so much different than riding Angus. She reached down and began unhooking the dragon's restrains. The dragon waited patiently until the last chain was undone.

The minute it was free it began thrashing about in an attempt to throw Merida off it's back. The red headed princess quickly reached down and grabbed one of the spikes on it's back. She hung on for dear life as the dragon kept rampaging. "Whoa! Settle down!" Merida shouted.

The young lords watched having no idea what to do. Ian walked over to the gate and opened the gate back up. "Merida, quick!" He yelled. Just as Merida was about to jumped off and run towards the gate, the dragon turned around and rushed towards him. Ian quickly tried to push the gate closed, but the dragon easily overpowered him.

It knocked him and the other young lords over before running about the stable. The other dragons all began to wake up at the commotion. "Alright, this has gone on far enough!" Ian yelled pulling out his sword. He ran towards it, but the dragon flew upwards towards the ceiling.

Merida clung onto the reptile and braced herself. This thing was going to try and smash through the roof. The dragon suddenly opened it's mouth and Merida could feel an intense heat.

===================================

Hiccup walked towards the stable stretching his arms out. He couldn't believe he had almost forgotten to say goodnight to Toothless. The Night Fury had been very fidgety since being placed in the stable, and Hiccup's constant presence was probably the only thing keeping him remotely calm. Just as he approached the door he saw two guards... sleeping.

"That's reassuring." He muttered before looking up at the already opened door. "Uh oh..." He was about to rush inside of the stable until suddenly he heard a loud explosion. He looked up and saw a dark figure seeding out of the roof of the stable. A flaming muzzle fell to the ground in front of him.

The door bursted open and he saw the young lords coming out. The guards woke up and turned to see what was going on. "What happened?!" Hiccup asked quickly.

Ian looked angry. "That blasted beast just flew off with the princess, that's what happened! Order the damned thing back down here!" Ian ordered.

Hiccup looked up confused. "Wait, which dragon?" He asked.

"Which dragon?" Ian asked in disbelief. "It doesn't matter which one! Just bring it down!"

"I need to know what type of dragon it is if I'm going to call it down!" Hiccup snapped back.

Ian was honestly a little surprised that this wimp had snapped at him like that. He would have cut him down for speaking to him in such a manner. But given the current situation he decided to simply comply. "The black one with the spikes."

Hiccup's face went pale. "Oh no, oh no. This is not good. This is definitely not good." He said running his hands through his hair. That was the Skrill that they had just caught before moving here. Not only was it not tamed yet, but it was extremely aggressive towards people.  
"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled. The Night Fury quickly busted out of it's pen and made it's way to his partners side. Hiccup mounted the dragon and then turned towards the young lords. "Go to the campsite and tell the other riders what's happening! I may need help bringing this thing down." He ordered.

Ian despised taking orders from a Viking, but he rushed off to go tell Chief Stoick. Hiccup took off on Toothless and went right after the Skrill. Merida was still clinging onto the dragon. She looked down and then immediately wished she hadn't. They were so high up. If this dragon managed to shake her off, she'd be reduced to a blood stain.

Suddenly another figure flew by. Merida looked over and saw Hiccup riding on his black dragon. He looked more serious than she had ever seen him. The Skrill looked back and spotted his pursuers before diving down and trying to lose them.

On the ground castle Dunbroch was in frenzy. How had a dragon managed to take their princess? Was this a plot of the Vikings? Had they planned this all along? "Merida!" Fergus voice boomed from the castle. He ran outside pushing past anyone foolish enough to get in his way. He spotted Stoick and then glared. "What the bloody blaze of hel happened?!" He asked angrily.

Stoick heard him and quickly turned around. "Now hold on there Fergus, before you go gettin any idea that we have something to do with this, we have no idea what's going on either! My boy is up there trying to get her down safely as well speak and his friends will be up there with him soon!" He said.

"Ye expect us to believe you?!" Lord Dingwall yelled angrily

"Are ye calling us liars?!" Gobber asked stepping forward.

Fergus shoved the two apart angrily. They didn't have time for this. "I do nae care how it happened! Ah just want me daughter back down here right noo!" He shouted.

"You want we should shoot it down?" Lord Macintosh asked.

"No, you may hit the girl!" Stoick said quickly. "Just let my boy handle it! If anyone can bring her back down safely, it's him."

Hiccup and Toothless flew only a few feet by the Skrill. No matter what twist or turn it attempted to shake them, they stayed right on it's heels. Hiccup however was face with a problem. How was he supposed to bring this thing down? He couldn't shoot it. He might risk hitting Merida.

But he had to think of something. The Skrill was fast, and he was sure the princess wouldn't be able to hang on much longer. Merida who still had a firm grip on the spikes of the Skrill felt like she was going to throw up. She was a fool for thinking this would be anything like riding a Clydesdale.

She reached forward and then grabbed one of the spikes on it's head. She pulled back attempting to slow the beast down. "Would ye stop moving to fast ye psychopath?!" She shouted. She managed to reached another hand up and grab a spike. Merida then pulled her body up so she was sitting on the beasts back.

The Skrill looked angry and then began whizzing high into the air. Merida hung out and pulled on the spikes causing it to jerk back. It flew wildly in the air as Merida kept pulling hoping to direct it towards the ground. Hiccup stayed on them closely trying to wait for a chance to snatch the princess away from it.

Eventually the Skrill stopped it's struggling and then made a dive bomb towards the ground. It looked back at Merida who simply tightened her grip. It then began spinning trying to fling her off, but she held strong. "It'll take a lot more than that to shake me me you beast!" She shouted. Seconds before hitting the ground the Skrill stretched out it's wings and began flying forward.

Merida let out a sigh of relief. She was afraid that this thing was crazy enough to actually smash into the ground. She looked down and saw the Skrill had stopped thrashing about and was actually just flying forward. Was this what it was like to ride a dragon. It was a much smoother feel than it was when riding Angus.

Had this dragon not been trying to kill her, she might have enjoyed their little flight session. "Have ye finally calmed down ya maniac?" She asked. The Skrill grunted. Merida looked down and actually patted it on the head. Was it possible that this creature was just bitter about being locked up for so long?

"Princess!" Merida looked up and saw Hiccup and Toothless hovering over her. Before Merida could say anything, Hiccup nudged Toothless side and the black dragon snatched Merida off the back of the Skrill. It tossed Merida into the air before performing a loop and catching her on it's back. "Are you okay?" Hiccup asked.

Merida shook her head and then glared at him. "Oh course I'm okay!" She snapped. She sat Toothless open his mouth and heard a loud screeching sound. "What is he doing?" She asked.

Toothless shot out a blue ball of fire with stuck the Skrill from behind. The dragon screeched out before falling and tumbling across the ground. Hiccup and Toothless stopped next to it and Hiccup quickly dismounted. He walked over to the Skrill and looked over it. A few burn marks on it's back, but nothing serious.

He turned to check on Merida but was suddenly pushed over. "Why did ye do that?!" Merida snapped.

Hiccup looked at her confused. "Do what? Save you? I'm pretty sure your father would have my head if I didn't."

"Save me? Ah was doin fine on my own! Ah had the situation handled!" She said angrily.

"Handled?!" He shouted back. "That Skrill is a wild dragon, I haven't got a chance to tame him yet! If I didn't stop him it would have thrown you off and turned you into a pancake! You can't just go messing with an untamed dragon!" He scolded.

"I tamed it just now! And then you just snatched me away and blast it! You ruined everything!" She said crossing her arms.

Hiccup looked at her confused. "Tamed a-?! You have no idea how to tame a dragon!" He said slapping his forehead. He sighed. "Look, I don't have time for this. I have to get you back to your father and send some men to get this dragon back into the stable before it wakes up." He said as he mounted Toothless once more.

Merida scoffed. "I'm not goin anywhere with ye!"

"Buddy, would you mind?" He asked.

Toothless flew forward grabbing Merida in his arms as he did so. Merida struggled to get loose as Hiccup steered them back towards the castle. "Put me down right noo!"

"Yeah, that's totally going to happen." Hiccup said sarcasm dripping from every word. "C'mon bud, we have to get back to the castle before a war breaks out." Toothless nodded and sped towards the castle, carrying a kicking and screaming Merida along with him.

* * *

**A/N: I know this chapter seems like a bit of a cliffhanger, but don't worry. The next one will pick up right where this left off. Anyway I hope you enjoyed it. I got the idea of using a Skrill from a guest reviewer. **


	3. Training Day

"Merida!" The minute her feet had touched the ground Fergus and Elinor rushed over to check on their daughter. Elinor hugged her daughter tightly in her arms and began checking over her for any injuries. "Are ye alright child? Did that thing hurt you at all?" She asked worriedly.

The red head sighed. "I'm fine ma." She said trying to reassure her.

Stoick approached his son. "Did the Skrill get away?"

Hiccup shook his head. "I shot it down about seventy yards north of here, if we get a some men out there we should be able to recapture it before it wakes up. I think they should bring some bolos just in case though." Hiccup said.

Stoick nodded and then turned to a few of the Viking men. "Alright, you heard him! Spitelout, get a few men together and bring that thing back here before it wakes up!" He ordered.

Fergus turned towards the Viking chief with a look of disbelief on his face. "Ye want to bring that beast back here?! After it just tried to kidnap me daughter and have her fer lunch?!"

"Ah had it under control da!" Merida argued.

Hiccup jumped off Toothless and turned towards the king. "Your majesty, that thing would be more of a threat if we just let it go free. It's wild, and it knows there's food here. If we let it go it will just come back looking for food. Or even if it does leave it'll find some village and end up taking food from there."

"Aye, because ye did such a good job keeping it locked up the first time didn't ye boy!" Lord MacGuffin bellowed.

"I swear I don't know how it got out." Hiccup said confused.

Fergus stepped forward. "Look boy, ah allowed ye to bring those beasts from yer homeland, but if ye cannae control them then ah will have no problem putting them down." He said sternly.

Merida saw a look of terror grow on Hiccup's face. The very idea of having the dragons put down was something he wouldn't allow. None of the people of Berk would. But on the other hand leaving meant certain death at the hands of Alvin.

"Wait, hold on a second! I can control them, I really have no idea how it could have gotten out! Maybe I didn't secure the restraints enough or-"

"Ah let it out." Merida piped up.

Everyone suddenly stopped. "What did ye say?" Fegus asked confused. Merida noticed everyone was now staring at her and she shrunk under their gaze. She wanted to say nothing, but she couldn't let the boy take the blame for something she did, even if he was a Viking.

"Ah let it out da." She admitted. "I wanted te... ride one."

Fergus frowned and shook his head. He glared down at his daughter with fury in his eyes. "I do nae believe this! Do ye know how much trouble ye could have put yourself in child?! It could have easily killed ye if it wanted!" He said angrily.

"I had it under control da! I tamed it and-"

"Ye tamed it?! What do ye know about taming dragons?!" Elinor snapped cutting her daughter off. "Yer foolish curiosity could have gotten yoo killed this time Merida!"

"Did the lords have something to do with this?!" Fergus asked turning towards the boys.

"No, it was just me!" Merida said quickly.

Ian quickly stepped forward. "No it wasn't, it was all of us. We jist wanted to see the beasts up close is all." He said trying to downplay the situation. "But I'm the one who dared Merida to ride the thing, so if anyone is going to get in trouble then it should be me."

Fergus sighed and rubbed his head. "The whole lot of ye are in trouble. But it's been a long night and ah do nae feel like havin' a shoutin' match tonight. Jist go back te the castle and go te bed."

Merida was about to say something but one glance from Fergus silenced her. Her father rarely got mad at her, he usually sided with her, but when he did she knew better than to argue. As she and the young lords made their way towards the castle they could hear the Vikings teen snickering.

"Good night your heinous." Astrid said mockingly.

"Looks like even royal kids get bossed around in the highlands." Snotlout added.

Ian glared at them but kept heading towards the castle. He would deal with them later. Everyone began heading back to bed except Fergus who was rubbing his fast exhaustedly. "The lass may be on to something ya know." Fergus turned around and saw Stoick and Gobber headed towards him. "The experience may come in handy for her."

"What da ye mean?"

"Well, maybe not 'her' per say. But the lords will be fighting in the war I assume. So will a lot of other young highlander warriors. Maybe teaching the youngsters how to ride dragons is fer the best." Gobber said wiping his nose on his arm. "You know, me and Hiccup used to-"

"Aye, the academy. Stoick was telling me about it earlier." Fergus said rubbing his head. He had discussed the matter with the lords earlier, and nobody seemed against the idea. And after what just happened at seems like at may be the wisest course of action. When can you start?"

"Tomorrow if ye want. Jist hope ye don't mind the kids wakin' up at the crack ah dawn."

Fergus smiled. "Ah like this idea already."

* * *

"Welcome ta yer first day of dragon training. Here yoo will be learning how ta fight dragons, as well as tame them." Gobber said standing in front of the dragon stable. A makeshift arena had been built around it. He looked over the group of teens, Viking and Scots, and smirked. It was clear the Young lords were not use to getting up this earlier. Still, it was interesting to see their reactions.

Boyd seemed as oblivious as ever, staring off into space. Ian was clearly displeased with having to take up this early, though honestly he was a little in this so called dragon training. Bart was totally out of it, the giant practically sleeping on his feet. Merida, though just as tired as the young lords were, was clearly excited about learning to tame these beasts.

The Viking teens however, seemed fairly bored. The knew how to fight dragons, and they knew a god deal about riding and taming them as well. Why was it that they had to sit through these basic drills? "First, we'll be learning a little aboot fightin' em. Because we have ah few newbies, we'll take it slow." Gobber said opening up the door to the stable.

Ian looked towards the Viking teens and frowned. There was one missing. "Where's the walking fish bone?" He asked. If anyone needed training of any kind it was that string bean.

"His name is Hiccup, and he's getting some rest after dealing with the Skrill that YOU let out last night. Besides, he's the last person who needs this training. He already knows almost everything there is to know about dragons." Astried explained. "He's called the Dragon Conquerer for a reason you know."

Merida looked shocked. "He's the Dragon Conquerer?" She said in disbelief. She'd heard a few rumors about the famed Dragon Conquerer, and she knew he hailed from the Hairy Hooligan tribe, but she never thought it was him. She just thought he was pretty handy with the beasts.

Gobber walked in and then went to a random Gronkle's stable. He opened it up and then pulled the large lizard out. "Wait ah second, aren't yoo gonna teach us somethin' first?"

"Gobber believes in learning on the job." Astrid said with a smirk.

The blacksmith released the Gronkle which sped towards the group of teens. Everyone scatted out of the way and went for their weapons. "There is one key weapon when fightin' against a dragon, which is it?" Gobber asked.

"Sword!" Ian said grabbing a blade. The minute he turned around the Gronkle slapped the sword from his hand with it's tail. It swung it's tail once more, but Ian jumped out of the way.

Merida had grabbed a bow and quickly notched an arrow. "Arrow!" She said with a smirk. She didn't know much about dragons, but she knew a well placed arrow could bring down any beast, no matter how big or nasty.

She fired the arrow hitting the dragon right between it's eyes, but it bounced off as if it were just a stick. Merida grew wide eyed as the Gronkle growled and then breathed in preparing to hurl a ball of fire. The red head stepped back and ended up tripping as the blast came speeding towards her. She raised her hands preparing for oncoming attack.

Suddenly a blonde girl jumped in front of her blocking the blast with a shield. "Shield." Astrid answered spinning an axe in her hand.

"Correct." Gobber said.

Astrid turned towards Merida. "No offense, but the field of battle isn't exactly a place for a princess." She said as the Gronkle rushed towards her.

Merida pointed behind her. "Look out!" Merida shouted. Astrid rolled her eyes and then turned around smashing the shield against the side of the Gronkle's head. It screeched and then flew over towards Fishlegs and Snotlout.

"Maybe you should head back to the castle and bake some scones or something." Astrid said slinging the axe over her shoulder and then turned to watch the other take on the dragon.

Merida frowned at her. Who did this girl think she was? "The Gronkle, one of the more durable dragons. It's thick rough skin makes it hard ta bring down, and it's one of the most powerful. But it's also the slowest of the bunch." Gobber explained.

Fishlegs swung his hammer knocking the Gronkle towards Bart and Boyd. The two blonds lifted their weapons and prepared to swing, but then stopped then they saw it preparing a ball of fire. They quickly jumped out of the way managing to avoid the blast. "Each dragon has a certain number of shots. How many does a Gronkle have?"

"Two?" Merida guessed. That's how many she'd seen him shoot so far.

"Not even close." Gobber said.

"Five!" Snotlout said smiling.

"Wrong... again." Gobber said shaking his head.

"Six!" Fishlegs shouted.

"Correct."

The Gronkle lunged at Boyd with it's teeth bared. It easily knocked the boy to the ground and then stepped over him ready to deliver a finishing blow. Suddenly an arrow bounced off the side of it's head. It turned and saw Merida notching another arrow. "Over here yoo ugly thing yoo." She said firing another arrow. It was just as ineffective as the first.

The Gronkle roared and then charged at her. Merida stood her ground and fired arrow after arrow, but it didn't even slow him down. The dragon was now in front of her and opened it's mouth ready to take a bite out of the princess. Just as it was about to chomp down, it was stopped. The red headed princess watched as Fishlegs yanked the Gronkle back by it's tail.

He pulled it back further and then spun it around a few time before throwing it. It hit the ground with a yelp before flying back towards the stable. "Are you okay?" Fishlegs asked looking towards her.

She looked at him for a few moments. She knew judging by his size that he was strong, but she never thought he was that strong. He had tugged that dragon back like he was nothing. She had only ever seen Bart display that type of strength before. "Um... aye, I'm fine."

Fishlegs nodded and then walked back over towards Gobber. "Alright, tha actually went better than ah hoped." He said happily. "Take a quick break and we'll get back ta work. Next up on the list is the deadly Nadder, and then some basic hand to hand combat. Dragons are nae the only thing you have to worry aboot on the battle field ye know."

The group began heading towards the mess hall. Ian picked up his sword when he heard the twins laughing. "Try to hang on to your sword next time butterfingers." Ruff said.

Ian glared at them. No one mocked of swordsmanship, least of all some Viking girl. "He can't, he's too busy brushing his hair." Tuff added.

"Why you!" Ian looked like he was going to charge but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back and saw it was Bart. The larger boy shook his head. "Bah!"

"He's right. It is nae worth at." Merida said. Right now, they were clearly out of their comfort zone. They had no idea about dragons. But when it came to hand to hand combat, swordplay and archey, they would surely have the advantage.

Boyd pointed over towards the gates. "Hey, look."

They all looked over and saw a group of men hauling something behind them. Looking closer, Merida could see that they were dragging the dragon from last night behind them. "I still cannae believe that toothpick is the dragon conquerer." Ian said.

"Me either." Merida agreed. Suddenly an idea popped into her head, and a smile crept across her face. She didn't know anything about dragons, but she knew where she could find out.

* * *

Hiccup sat at the top of the castle working on his sketch of the Skrill. It had woken up before they got to it last night, and they ended up having to chase it down. "So, you chased down that nasty beasty did ye?" He looked up and saw a mess of red hair before him. It was the princess.

He quickly rose to his feet. "Oh, Princess, I didn't see you there! I-"

She held her hand up. "Please stop talkin'. Ah did nae find ye so ye could start ramblin' again like ye did last night." She said cutting him off. He stopped and looked confused. Find him? That implied that she was looking for him. But why would the princess by searching him out?

"Is... there something I can do for you princess?" He asked.

She looked him over for a few moments. "Ah heard a very questionable rumor aboot ye. The word around the castle yer the supposed Dragon Conquerer." She said crossing her arms.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, Conquerer isn't really the word I would use."

"Are yoo the one who tamed the dragon or not?" She asked bluntly.

"Yes."

"Ah have tae say, ah did nae picture the Dragon Conquerer as someone... like yoo." She said looking over him. "Little scrawny fer a Viking ain't ye?" She asked.

A million come backs came into his head, but he was pretty sure she had the authority to have him executed, so he decided to keep his mouth shut. "I get that a lot."

"Ah'm sure. But still, ye do seem like ye have some way with tha beast. Since yer such an expert on them, ah assume ye wood know all about how ta fight em."

"Well, I do know a fair share about them-"

"Good, start talkin'."

Hiccup shook his head and looked at her like she was crazy. "Well, that's a little vague. Where in Thor's name am I supposed to start?"

Merida sighed. "Jist somethin' about dragons! Somethin' I can use to fight em!"

Hiccup rubbed his temples. "Look, princess, there's all types of information on dragons. There is no ONE way to fight or tame a dragon. You have to take all type of things into account. What species is the dragon, what class is it, what are it's stats?"

"Stats?" Merida said confused. "A-ah donnae know what any of tha means! Ah jist want ta know where to shoot a blasted dragon with an arrow!"

"What type of dragon?" Hiccup asked.

She scratched her head. "Ah do nae know. Ah think ah heard the one armed man talkin' about... a Deadly Natter or somethin'." She said unsure herself.

He rubbed his chin. "Deadly Natter huh? Their very quick and light on their feet, a hard target to hit from a distance. A well placed arrow in the leg should bring it down, or at the very least slow it down significantly." He explained.

"Where exactly in the leg?" She asked.

"The thigh. But it's an extremely hard shot to make. I mean we're talking about a moving target here, and with a projectile as small as an arrow no less. It's pretty much an impossible shot."

Merida just smirked and began walking off. "Well, we'll jist have tae see aboot tha. Thanks fer the advice Dragon Conquerer."

"Um, actually my name is... and, she's gone." Hiccup said. He shrugged and then went back to his sketch. He was sure everything would work out on its own. When he first heard the training had been approved, he was ecstatic. That quickly changed to worry when he heard they'd been learning how to combat dragon as well.

The real reason behind the training was to help the Scots grow more familiar with them.

But, he realized that it was necessary. They needed to learn how to defend themselves from dragons. They were going to war, and the enemy would be bringing dragon of their own. To send the the Scots into battle without preparing them would be disastrous. And though most dragons were tamed, the fact remained that they were still wild animals, and every so often snapped.

Still, the main reason behind the training was to help the Scots grow more familiar with them. By learning to care and ride for them would ease up the tension in the alliance. It would give them common ground. At least that's what he told his father. He hoped to Odin he was right.

* * *

Gobber stood in front of the door of the stable with a sly smile. "Okay kiddies, now its time ta introduce yoo to the Deadly Nadder." He said. "Nadders are one of tha fastest and deadliest dragons out there. Nae only do they have the hottest fire blast of any dragon, but they also have spines that can turn ye into a pin cushion." He said.

He opened the door and the dragon bursted down and glared at all the teens, who were now on their guard. It looked over them curiously for a few moments. "What's it doing?" Ian asked in a hushed voice.

"Nadders will usually find and pick off the slowest ones first. It's trying to decide who that person is." Astrid explained.

The Nadder turned it's head and it's eyes locked onto Bart, who cringed under it's gaze. It roared and then ran towards the young MacGuffin. He quickly lifted his shield as the others scattered away. The Nadder began circling around Bart who held his sword up ready to fend it off.

Merida once again went straight for her bow and arrow. She notched her arrow, took aim at its thigh, and then let go. The arrow glided through the air heading straight for it's target, but with one swipe of the Nadder's tail, the arrow was snapped in two. "Damn!" Merida cursed.

The Nadder turned towards the princess and roared before flicking it's tail and sending a half dozen spines in her direction. "Look out!" Ian tackled the red head to the ground just before the spines made contact. "Ah..." Ian groaned in pain and grabbed the cut on his arm.

"Are yoo alright?!" Merida asked worriedly.

"Ah'm fine, it's jist a scratch." He said.

The Nadder looked like it was going to fire again, but Bart stepped forward and deliver a punch to the side of it's head. It stepped back shaking it's head before turning back towards its attacker. It opened it's mouth and fired, but Bart hit the ground. He could feel the intense heat as the blast of fire passed over his body.

Merida notched another arrow and took aim. "No offense princess, but ah think ye shood give up with tha arrows. It donnae really seem like its workin'." Ian said.

"If ah can jist shoot it in the thigh ah can take it doon." She said.

"How do ye even know tha?!" Ian asked.

"Ah jist do!" She shouted back.

He sighed. "Fine! Ah'll slow it down! Do nae miss next time!" He rushed towards the Nadder.

Bart got back up and began swinging at the Nadder, but it easily avoided his blows. Ian joined in, but it still avoided them with relative ease. It wasn't long before Boyd yelled out and then rushed in to join the other young lords.

Snoutlout watched as the three feebly tried to take down the Nadder. He looked towards Astrid. "Should we do something?" He asked.

The blonde shook her head. "Let em struggle for a bit."

Bart lifted his sword up and tried bring it down on the dragon's head, but it shot a blast of fire melting the blade of the sword. Ian twirled his sword in his hand hoping to blind side it, but it flicked its tail knocking his sword from his hand. Boyd jumped on the neck of the beast and bit down onto it's head, but didn't even seem to notice.

It shook it's head flicking Boyd off and then turned towards the three boys. Merida smirked. She had a clear shot now. He released the arrow and sent it sailing through the air. Just as the Nadder was about to strike, the arrow sunk into its leg. The Nadder screeched loudly and then turned towards her. It headed towards her, but it was walking with a limp now.

"Hah! It worked!" Merida said excitedly.

The young lords cheered and the Viking teens all looked surprised. "Well, I'll be damned." Astrid muttered to herself. She had actually managed to hit it's thigh, with an arrow. Hitting a dragons weak spot was hard. Even when you were using an axe or sword from close range, there was no guarantee you would hit it. Was it just a fluke?

"Take that ya scale covered kelpie!" Merida yelled haughtily.

"Well done princess, ye crippled a Nadder. Too bad ye forgot about the wings."

"Whot?"

The Nadder suddenly flew into the air and then sped towards Merida. It swooped down and then used it's hind legs to pin her down to the ground. It roared and opened it's mouth giving Merida a close up view of it's razor sharp teeth. "Merida!" Ian yelled. The young lords all began rushing over to help.

Just as the dragon looked like it was about to behead the Scottish princess, Gobber whistled. The Nadder stopped and then looked up towards the man. "Alright Bessie, ye did a good job today. Noo come on inside so we can fix up tha leg of yours." Gobber said.

The Scottish teens watched in amazement as the dragon began making it's way back towards the stable. Gobber turned towards them. "Well, ye all did a decent job, and I think we can call it a day. Go get a good nights sleep, cause tomorrow will be even better. We'll start with some close combat and then pick up where we let off with the dragons."

With that he closed the door and left the teens standing there. "Whot was that?!" Ian asked.

"It was Bessie, duh." Tuff said as if it were obvious.

"She seemed pretty chilled today though. She didn't even bite anybody today." Ruff said.

"It's probably because she'd been cooped up in the stable for so long. Usually she has time to stretch her wings a little." Fishlegs said.

The princess and the lords watched as the teens headed back towards their campsite, chatting casually with one another. Merida glanced over and saw Astrid staring at her. "Whot?"

Astrid just shook her head and chuckled before following after the others. "Vikings, are so weird." Ian said. Bart nodded in agreement. "Ah mean, they make Boyd look normal."

"Yeah... hey!" Boyd said frowning.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the long update, had few other stories to work on, busy schedule, and an upcoming semester to deal with. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Remember to Read and Review! **


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